I think part of my point is that some from Europe and Australia showed me that initialisms create confusion with many. For all that I grew up down there, I have difficulty with the two letter state abbreviations.

Diamond Pet Foods is recalling one of its products in British Columbia for fear of melamine contamination.

Melamine, a chemical used to make plastics and fertilizers, was found in more than 100 brands of contaminated pet food that were recalled from the marketplace in Canada and the United States in mid-March.

Diamond Pet Foods is recalling its Nutra Nuggets Lamb Meal and Rice Formula sold in 18-kilogram (40-pound) bags with a best-before date of Oct. 9, 2008. The recall applies to bags stamped with the production codes NLR0404A2SL or NLR0404B2SL.

No deaths have been reported, but pets who have eaten the product should be watched closely, the company said. Affected animals will be very thirsty and will vomit within 24 hours of consuming the food, it added. Other symptoms include loss of appetite and lethargy.

Diamond Pet Foods, based in California, said the recalled product was manufactured at the same facility as other products that contained rice protein concentrate later found to be tainted with melamine.

The pet food was sold in B.C., Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

Consumers are being asked to return unused portions of the pet food to the retailer for a refund.

Melamine in food chain

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has fielded about 17,000 consumer calls about contaminated pet food and related pet illnesses since March.

Contaminated pet food has also been found in animal feed, but FDA officials have told consumers that pork, chicken and egg products from animals that were given feed tainted with melamine are safe to eat. The U.S. agency said tests on the feed showed low levels of the industrial chemical.

Canadian fish farms have also been affected by melamine contamination. In May, Vancouver-based Skretting Canada recalled its fish feed after learning it was tainted with the same contaminated Chinese wheat flour linked to the pet food recall.

The FDA last week said that fish given the contaminated feed are also safe to eat.

China to crack down on unsafe products with new recall program
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | 1:09 PM ET
CBC News

China has announced plans to introduce a safety recall system in an attempt to weed out unsafe products being manufactured within the country.

Wu Jianping, director general of the administration's food production and supervision department, said the system will focus on "potentially dangerous and unapproved food products," according to the state-run China Daily newspaper.

China's food and drug safety record has come under scrutiny in recent months as tests on the country's exports have detected the presence of potentially harmful ingredients

Tests have indicated that wheat flour, used in North American pet food, was tainted with melamine — a chemical used to make plastics and fertilizer. Toothpaste, exported from China to the Dominican Republic, Panama and Australia, was found to contain diethylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze and brake fluid.

Last week, Canada's food watchdog intercepted a shipment of corn gluten imported from China that tested positive for melamine. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is continuing to check shipments of wheat, rice, soy and corn gluten and protein concentrates coming into the country from China.

Former regulator to be executed
Meanwhile on Tuesday, China's former chief food and drug regulator was sentenced to death for accepting bribes — valued at $832,000 US, according to the Xinhua News agency, citing a court report issued by Beijing's No. 1 Intermediate People's Court.

Zheng Xiaoyu was found guilty of allowing eight companies to sidestep the drug approval process, according to the court report. Zheng's Food and Drug Administration approved six types of fake medicine, including one antibiotic that killed at least 10 people last year.

It is not yet known if the former chief will appeal the court's decision.

This morning CBC Radio, The Sunday Edition. If your on it you might want to check Sirius 137.

Quote:Sunday, June 10, 2007, 9:12 a.m.
10/06/2007

This week on The Sunday Edition, host Michael Enright has a question about eating Chinese. While it has become the number one exporter of everything, a number of nasty incidents have occurred lately and all involve products from China. Just think of the thousands of dogs and cats that were poisoned in North America. So just how safe is our food?

Hello.
If you really care for your pets you will get them Evangers dog food. It is made in Chicago and is a high quality dog food. Go to the web site which is Evangersdogfood.com Our dogs have been eating it for years and we have never had to worry. Their menu is way different. It costs a little more but these our your best friends. The selections is great and they won't get tired of eating the same old thing.

I too have heard if one wants to continue feeding dog food that Evangers or Canidae the only ones that still may be safe.

We immediately went to home feeding our two the date the first recall was announced. I would highly recommend everyone get a full blood panel run. Ours did show an elevated alkaline phosphatase level which means along the way the Pedigree canned or Nutro Natural Dry with the accumulation of melamine caused this damage. Melamine has been in almost all dogfood brands for years and other toxic chemicals also.

Pets continue even now to be poisoned and die. Many dog foods are still being made by Menu and Diamond. Many brands have not announced recalls and still are killing animals. The FDA still has not been granted mandatory recall power so they must depend upon companies self-reporting.

The only reprieve now is for the individual and class action lawsuits working their way through the courts. Many states have federal cases going. Since these are big corporations no doubt cases will need to make it passed a federal court upon appeal.

Make sure everyone here becomes educated to this Pet 911 by visiting the links I have posted and spread the word.

Make sure your pet food is not on the very, very long recall list that the FDA has confirmed. The brands continue to grow. Dry foods are being added.

Find out who is REALLY making your pet's food vs. the brand saying they make their own. One pet food i.e. at least one brand has a class action lawsuit against it for fraud.

It is distressing to say the least to pay what is more than the average cost of petfood from special name brands just to find out they are being made by Menu or Diamond.

Remember also not all poisoned food brands have voluntarily withdrawn their food. The FDA has no mandatory power to recall. And would they use it if they had?

An independent lab, ExperTox confirms vets finding that acetaminophen is found in pet food. FDA disputes this... for now. Stay posted. This is the next killer still to be uncovered and finally be recalled we pray.

Pets are still dying or so sick their lives are shortened. Many headed for cancer.

It is a very sorry state of affairs and a heartbreaker. Make sure your pets have had a full blood panel to rule out them being poisoned. The poisoning may not be readily apparent. Your pet may be gradually poisoned.

http://www.itchmo.com/recalls.html

The above link is not commercial and has no advertising. Approved by the moderator to post since not commercial.

Visit and pass along so you can save lives even if your pet's food is not on the list, chances are one of your family members or best friends pet is on the list.

I ran into a broken hearted family camping whose Scotty was poisoned and died.

Our beloved Nina died Monday June 18,2007. Her kidneys were ravaged by this poisoned food. She spent a week in the vets hospital trying to shock her kidneys into working again but after 5 days in the hospital and the weekend at home, her little heart just couldn't take the strain any more. She just collapsed and died. I want to do something to the rotten producers of the poisoned food but don't know what yet.